Interesting article. The ad was slightly shocking, but I can't say I'm surprised they started marketing marijuana as "the new beer." As a result of frequent discussion on marijuana legalization, I think it is only a matter of time before marijuana becomes completely legal. Although we are unsure of the exact results of legalization-- yes, there is the hypothesis that marijuana use will go up-- but because alcohol is the only product (that I know of) that was legalized and regulated before marijuana, there isn't enough evidence to dictate precisely what would occur with complete legalization. Increased use is a concern, yes, but when weighed against the pros of legalizing I'm not sure we can use that as an excuse anymore. I think it's time to try a new system in regards to marijuana- we'll see how legalization in Washington and Colorado goes. Maybe the two states will offer enough evidence to support legalization on the federal level.
I'm not entirely sure the word, "inevitable" is one I would use to predict marijuana legalization. At least, not on a national level. I believe that states will learn from legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington; they will perceive the effects of legalization as either negative or positive and keep or change their laws accordingly, but I do not think that legalization will become nationwide in our lifetime.
Yes. Numerous polls (Gallup, Pew Research Center, etc.) have shown that a majority of Americans now support the legalization of marijuana. There's no conceivable reason to think that number will go down, but plenty of reasons to believe support will increase. First and foremost, there are the stark demographic realities: A solid majority (~65%) of young people/Millenials (coincidentally, the largest generation in American history) support legalization. The people who oppose it most are those aged 65+. At the risk of sounding callous, the most vehement opposition to marijuana is literally dying off. Just like with same-sex marriage, opposition is concentrated among an ever-shrinking minority, while the upcoming generation–our generation-is much more "live-and-let-live" on this issue as well as everything else. When the people currently in Congress are replaced by Millenials, I think things will change. Also, the current conflict between federal law and the states is more or less untenable at this point. When 20 states have legalized marijuana either for medical use or outright, the federal government looks increasingly silly and out-of-touch by maintaining such a hard-line stance against it. See the Justice Department's continued conspicuous silence regarding CO and WA 9 months after those states voted to legalize it. It's a lot easier to let the cat out of the bag than to put it back in...
Interesting article. The ad was slightly shocking, but I can't say I'm surprised they started marketing marijuana as "the new beer." As a result of frequent discussion on marijuana legalization, I think it is only a matter of time before marijuana becomes completely legal. Although we are unsure of the exact results of legalization-- yes, there is the hypothesis that marijuana use will go up-- but because alcohol is the only product (that I know of) that was legalized and regulated before marijuana, there isn't enough evidence to dictate precisely what would occur with complete legalization. Increased use is a concern, yes, but when weighed against the pros of legalizing I'm not sure we can use that as an excuse anymore. I think it's time to try a new system in regards to marijuana- we'll see how legalization in Washington and Colorado goes. Maybe the two states will offer enough evidence to support legalization on the federal level.
ReplyDeleteI'm not entirely sure the word, "inevitable" is one I would use to predict marijuana legalization. At least, not on a national level. I believe that states will learn from legalization of marijuana in Colorado and Washington; they will perceive the effects of legalization as either negative or positive and keep or change their laws accordingly, but I do not think that legalization will become nationwide in our lifetime.
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ReplyDeleteYes. Numerous polls (Gallup, Pew Research Center, etc.) have shown that a majority of Americans now support the legalization of marijuana. There's no conceivable reason to think that number will go down, but plenty of reasons to believe support will increase. First and foremost, there are the stark demographic realities: A solid majority (~65%) of young people/Millenials (coincidentally, the largest generation in American history) support legalization. The people who oppose it most are those aged 65+. At the risk of sounding callous, the most vehement opposition to marijuana is literally dying off. Just like with same-sex marriage, opposition is concentrated among an ever-shrinking minority, while the upcoming generation–our generation-is much more "live-and-let-live" on this issue as well as everything else. When the people currently in Congress are replaced by Millenials, I think things will change. Also, the current conflict between federal law and the states is more or less untenable at this point. When 20 states have legalized marijuana either for medical use or outright, the federal government looks increasingly silly and out-of-touch by maintaining such a hard-line stance against it. See the Justice Department's continued conspicuous silence regarding CO and WA 9 months after those states voted to legalize it. It's a lot easier to let the cat out of the bag than to put it back in...
ReplyDelete